Chapter 2: ◎The Female Side Characters Saved by the Male Lead All Have to Pay a Price.◎

Meng Yiran had no idea at the time just how much havoc that single strand of cat hair she had unwittingly shed would wreak. Years later, whenever she looked back on this chapter of her life, she would hear the faint “creak-creak” of the Wheel of Destiny turning amid the twists and turns of her path.

During this time, the maid Meili was busier than usual and thus grew a bit lax in watching over Meng Yiran.

After enjoying a long, leisurely nap, Meng Yiran stretched lazily and deftly pried open the lock on the Silver Cage with her cat paws. She dropped silently to the floor. By now, she had grown accustomed to her feline form—she could leap onto a windowsill two or three meters high, melt into the shadows of the architecture, and prowl all the way from the depths of the Servants’ Living Area to the exit without a sound. Servants bustled to and fro, some immersed in their tasks, others gathered in clusters for a quick rest and chat, but none ever spotted her.

Moments like these made Meng Yiran truly grasp the meaning of the term “cat overlord.”

Perched atop a lofty windowsill, gazing down imperiously at the humans below, she felt like the castle’s hidden noble mistress rather than some insignificant pet.

When boredom truly set in, Meng Yiran would find a cozy nook and eavesdrop on the servants’ latest gossip. Their chatter spanned every topic imaginable—from something as trivial as a new black carpet in the master’s Study to weighty rumors of war brewing in the Empire’s northern reaches. It was all a jumble of truths and tall tales, impossible to sort out.

On this particular day, her wanderings took her to the Kitchen, where she stumbled upon two maids hunched over a pile of vegetables.

“What a pain,” grumbled the petite one, wiping sweat from her brow. “They’re just distant relatives—why do they have to make such a huge fuss every single time they visit?”

The older girl shot her a sharp look. “Keep it down.”

She glanced cautiously around, ensuring no one else was nearby, before whispering, “That person’s a Tong, after all. He has a claim to the inheritance. Who knows who this castle will end up with someday.”

The petite maid bristled with indignation. “The young miss is about to come of age—what business is it of theirs?” She snatched up a grimy potato. “If only the Madam were still around. The young miss wouldn’t be getting pushed around by some far-off relative.”

“What’s the point of coming of age?” the older maid replied with a shake of her head. “She doesn’t take after the Madam at all from her younger days. A weak constitution is one thing, but that timid personality… Who could’ve guessed such a strong-willed woman like the Madam would raise a child like that?”

Something about the details in their words struck Meng Yiran as eerily familiar, stirring an urgent desire to hear more. But at that point, both maids seemed lost in reminiscences of the Madam and fell silent together.

Before long, the older one finished prepping the vegetables and sent them off. With no more conversation forthcoming, Meng Yiran slipped away in disappointment.

The maids’ talk dredged up fragments of memory in Meng Yiran’s mind.

In her previous life, right before her sudden death, a friend had recommended an adventure novel to her. It was set in a Magic World, chronicling the protagonist’s epic journey of trials, level-ups, and monster-slaying. Midway through, Meng Yiran had dropped it upon realizing the male protagonist was a total playboy.

Yet one female side character had left a lasting impression. The author had lavished pages on her appearance, portraying her as a flawless, lifelike doll. As a die-hard BJD Doll enthusiast, Meng Yiran still remembered her name crystal clear.

“Tong Yuwu,” she murmured to herself. “The surname matches perfectly. So… the young miss that Meili brought me to see that day—she must be Tong Yuwu.”

The realization left Meng Yiran deeply irritated.

She desperately hoped she was wrong, because…

If this was indeed following the novel’s plot, Tong Yuwu’s life from here on out would be utter misery! That torment wouldn’t end until she crossed paths with the Male Protagonist, who would “save” her—at a steep cost, no doubt.

But thinking of the Male Protagonist only fueled her frustration further.

He burst onto the scene with a beautiful and gracious fiancée, yet he acted like a stallion in heat, leaving a trail of conquests everywhere he went. Meng Yiran had only read the early parts, but she didn’t need to finish the story to guess the pattern: every female side character “rescued” by the Male Protagonist ended up paying dearly for it, inevitably joining his harem.

Why should a beautiful girl like that settle for a scumbag like the Male Protagonist?!

She had ditched the novel precisely because she dreaded the moment Tong Yuwu fell for him—it would’ve driven her to track down the author for a real-life showdown. Even though she’d bailed out in time, revisiting those early plot points now still made her blood boil.

Meng Yiran analyzed the situation with clear logic. “The servants don’t dare address the master by name directly, so staying put won’t get me any real information on that young lady’s true identity. If I want to confirm whether this is the world from the book, I’ll have to investigate it myself.”

In the evening, she quietly trailed behind a group of maids delivering meals, slipping into a spacious restaurant aglow with lights.

The servants inside moved with disciplined precision, eyes straight ahead as they performed their duties. Meng Yiran seized her chance and ducked behind a massive vase taller than a person, right at the edge of a dining table.

Two men were already seated at the table—one large, one small. The older one sported a pair of small mustaches on his face and appeared to be in his forties or fifties. The little boy had a round, chubby face and looked just over ten years old.

The maidservants placed a platter of enticingly roasted meat on the table. The middle-aged man picked up the communal knife and fork, slicing off a few pieces and placing them on the boy’s plate.

The steward standing nearby, holding a bottle of wine, twitched at the corner of his mouth.

He bent down and offered a reasonably polite reminder. “Sir, our master hasn’t arrived yet. Dinner hasn’t officially begun.”

Yet he was far too young; neither his demeanor nor his experience could support the gravitas expected of a steward in a great family.

This was one of the things that struck Meng Yiran as odd.

The master of this castle was a young girl, and few of the servants attending her were advanced in years. In all the days she’d been here, the only people she’d seen older than the middle-aged man in the restaurant numbered just one or two.

Sure enough, the middle-aged man paid no heed to the young steward whatsoever. Twirling his mustache with a disdainful sniff, he shot back, “Little Wei’s just a child—what’s wrong with letting him have a couple of slices first?” Then he turned the tables and demanded, “What’s the holdup with Yuwu? Why hasn’t she shown up yet? Does she plan to keep her dear uncle waiting indefinitely?”

The two words “Yuwu” hit like a thunderbolt, shattering the fog in Meng Yiran’s mind.

She could finally be certain: she hadn’t simply transmigrated to some random place. She’d entered the very novel she’d been reading right before her sudden death, reborn as an unnamed pet cat by the side of the pitiful supporting female character, Tong Yuwu.

Lost in thought, she heard the telltale rumble of wheelchair wheels from the restaurant entrance. She instinctively peeked out and saw the Tall Female Servant pushing Tong Yuwu into view at the doorway.

Tong Yuwu had her head slightly lowered at first, but the moment she entered, her gaze inexplicably landed on the large vase where Meng Yiran was hiding—as if she knew an uninvited guest was concealed in that blind spot. Meng Yiran jolted in fright, nearly convinced she’d been spotted. Fortunately, Tong Yuwu soon turned her head away and greeted the two men by the table. Only then did Meng Yiran exhale in relief, chagrined at her own overreaction.

With the master’s arrival, dinner officially commenced.

The three at the table struggled to maintain a facade of harmonious cheer, but the father and son from afar showed no restraint as guests ought to. Many of their actions bordered on overstepping. Tong Yuwu lacked any of the authority expected of a host and allowed them to run roughshod without protest. Not only Meng Yiran—even the few loyal servants nearby watched through gritted teeth.

But the middle-aged man—Tong Rencheng—seemed oblivious. Instead, he grew bolder, nitpicking the accompanying wine as subpar and ordering the young steward to fetch a top-shelf dry red himself.

The moment the steward stepped away, he revealed his true purpose.

“Yuwu, your coming-of-age is at the start of next month. By noble custom, there’s always a Coming-of-Age Banquet. Your mother… alas, she can’t handle it for you, so your uncle can’t just stand by and watch.” Tong Rencheng dabbed at his mouth with a napkin. “Conveniently, I’ve got time lately. Leave the banquet to your uncle.”

Tong Yuwu placed a small, fluffy piece of potato in her mouth, chewing slowly before swallowing.

Just as Tong Rencheng seemed about to press her, she finally spoke. “…Would it be too much trouble for you?”

“No trouble at all, no trouble!” He jumped in before her words had even faded, eager as could be. “As your elder, it’s my duty!”

Tong Yuwu tilted her head in thought.

The light caught on her rounded nose tip like an uneven layer of highlighter, rendering her features flawlessly ethereal, almost unreal. A moment later, the perfect Doll Lady narrowed her eyes in a faint smile, as if springing back to life, and nodded to Tong Rencheng. “Then I’ll have to trouble you.”

Tong Rencheng rubbed his hands together. “No trouble!” Greed gleamed openly in his eyes now, his emotions laid bare. “Oh, right—Yuwu, hand over the family emblem for me.

“You know how tedious arranging a banquet can be. Having the emblem will make things much smoother.”

The poor little girl, utterly naive to the world’s cruelties, actually reached for the exquisite diamond-shaped badge at her waist upon hearing this.

Her personal maid couldn’t stand by any longer. Braving the pressure, she stepped forward and pressed down on Tong Yuwu’s hand. “Miss… something this important—shouldn’t we wait for the steward to return and discuss it?”

Tong Yuwu froze for a moment, confusion welling up in her innocent eyes. She glanced at the badge in her hand, then at the maid, a troubled expression creeping over her face.

How could Tong Rencheng let a prize that was already within his grasp slip away?

He shot to his feet and shoved the maid aside with force. “This is the master’s family business. What right does a mere slave like you have to butt in? Are you tired of living?”

The maid clearly hadn’t expected him to act so gracelessly. Caught off guard, she tumbled to the floor.

Tong Rencheng didn’t spare her a single glance. Instead, he reached out toward Tong Yuwu, clearly intending to snatch the badge right from her grasp.

Tong Yuwu hadn’t even had a chance to react—

Not just in her looks; in her personality and reflexes, she was like a doll utterly incapable of fending for itself.

Meng Yiran, who had been lurking in the shadows, finally lost her patience. She sprang from her hiding spot and pounced straight at Tong Rencheng. Razor-sharp cat claws shot out from her paw pads, drawing blood from that unruly hand in an instant!

Tong Rencheng yelped in pain and yanked his hand back. Meng Yiran, meanwhile, landed gracefully on the dining table.

A crystal goblet toppled from the impact, shattering on the floor with a sharp bang that stunned everyone in the room.